Subhash's wife begged me to let go of the matter: Geetika Tyagi

Ankur Pathak

Geetika Tyagi spoke to us about the molestation accusations she has levied against filmmaker Subhash Kapoor

| TNN | Feb 22, 2014, 12.00 AM IST

Geetika Tyagi

GeetikaTyagi spoke to us about the molestation accusations she has levied against filmmaker Subhash Kapoor. Geetika tweeted a link to a video showing Kapoor and his wife, along with Aurangzeb director Atul Sabharwal, in the midst of a confrontation, apparently about Kapoor having sexually abused her.

When did you first meet Subhash Kapoor? I met him in 2005 through a common friend, Danish Raza. He introduced us saying Subhash was a journalist from Delhi and since I too had covered crime for a news channel in Delhi, we got chatting. Over the next eight years, I got to know him and his wife Dimple better and we'd meet up frequently. I have even seen his son grow up. They were like family. On May 28, 2012, I met Subhash at a restaurant in Andheri. I was with my sister, her friend and Danish. Subhash had been messaging me to meet him for some days. We had beer, I wanted to call it a day, but Subhash insisted we stay on. Eventually, we decided to take the party to my place which was nearby and which Subhash had visited several times with his wife. My sister and Danish came along.

Then? Everybody left, including my sister, as we were in the middle of shifting to a new house. Danish, a trusted confidante, and Subhash stayed back. This was the first time Subhash was at my place without his wife, who was in the US. I told him politely that he should leave, but he went into the bedroom and dozed off. Despite my insistence to stay, Danish excused himself saying he had to go to work early. The minute he left, Subhash woke up and started giving me a pep talk about life and relationships. He then came and sat next to me and forced himself on me. I went numb. This man was like an elder brother. I ran to the kitchen, he followed me, I abused him. Somehow I texted Danish to call me and told him loudly on the phone, "Subhash is leaving right now."

Why didn't you raise an alarm? I was shocked and scared. He could have harmed me.

You could have reported the matter to the cops the next day. Subhash and Dimple were family, I couldn't just run to the cops. I wrote to his wife and made several calls to her. Danish insisted I meet Subhash and quietly sort out the matter. He told me that since I didn't have any evidence, my case wouldn't stand. I was aghast and realised then that being a scriptwriter, he'd never go against Subhash, who was making inroads into Bollywood.

Did Subhash also put pressure on you to not to file a police complaint? He called me a hundred times and Dimple begged me to let go of the matter saying that not only would their lives be ruined, but also the future of their son. I convinced myself that this was the noble thing to do and somehow bottled up my rage. I lost out on work, my social life was nonexistent and I was petrified not just of strangers, but also people I knew.

So what triggered the move to come out in the open and upload the video almost two years later? Dimple had emotionally convinced me that their marriage was over and their life shattered after this incident. But nothing like this happened. Soon they were celebrating together while my anger and helplessness got unbearable. The Tarun Tejpal incident gave me the strength to come out in the open.

Who made the videos? Was Subhash aware that he was being filmed? I did. The first time when I met him after the incident (on May 31, 2012), I told him I would record everything. (Shows us another video) In this clip you hear me ask him angrily how he could have done such a thing. He doesn't respond initially, as you see, but later says, "I thought you were vulnerable, like I was, but I ended up making a blunder."

Some believe that the video you uploaded was timed to coincide with a press release issued, asserting that a big film studio had signed Subhash for their next film. I can't stand the guy, you think I'll keep track of what film he is making? During the Tarun Tejpal's incident in November, Atul Sabharwal, who I had confided in, tweeted saying Subhash is a pervert. His wife came running and pleaded with me to delete the tweet. By now, I knew this was a con. We shot the whole thing on my iPhone, and that's the video we uploaded.

The Tarun Tejpal incident happened in November. Why did you wait till now to come out?

I had two films coming up - 'What the Fish' and 'One By Two' - in successive months. I didn't want to seem like someone using the tragedy for cheap publicity.

But you still haven't gone to the cops?

I will be filing a police complaint anytime now. I wanted to first gather clinching evidence and put it out in the public domain. This will prove useful during police procedures. It's not easy going to the cops. It takes years to gather that kind of courage. But it was gratifying for me, a victim of sexual abuse, to shame and humiliate the perpetrator, who was family and never a filmmaker. I still get nightmares.

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